The Independent Media Agencies of Australia (IMAA) has named QMS as its 2025 Media Partner of the Year at the organisation’s third annual IMAA Awards for Media Partners.
The ceremony took place last night at Events by Alpha Grand Room in Sydney, where close to 200 leaders from independent media agencies and media companies came together for what has become the indie sector’s night of nights.
The awards recognise the 45 media organisations that have supported IMAA agencies over the past 12 months, all judged by member votes from 168 independent agencies.
QMS wins big
QMS secured the top honour of Media Partner of the Year, scoring highest across six criteria including service and relationships, ideas and proactivity, value proposition, data and insights, innovation and effectiveness.
It also took out the Effectiveness category.
Other major winners included Nine for TV Partner of the Year, oOh for Out Of Home, Nova Entertainment for Audio, and News Australia which claimed both Publishing and News Partner of the Year and Digital Partner of the Year.
Strong support for the indie sector
IMAA CEO Sam Buchanan said the awards highlight the importance of strong, collaborative partnerships between media owners and the independent agency community.
“Our media partners have been the backbone of our organisation since its inception, proudly supporting our efforts to celebrate and advocate for the national independent media agency sector,” Buchanan said.
“I’d like to warmly congratulate all our media partner winners for 2025. These awards have become an important part of the indie calendar, providing an opportunity to acknowledge our media partners and the value they provide our members.”
IMAA CEO Sam Buchanan
Buchanan said the sector continues to benefit from sustained investment in education, professional development and shared initiatives across the partner network.
“Our strong media partnerships are indicative of the collective might and importance of the indie agency sector. Our media partners have not just backed and contributed to our work, but have been an active, collaborative voice in promoting our efforts. We are looking forward to deepening our partnerships in 2026.”
Full list of winners
Media Partner of the Year
QMS
Partner of the Year by Channel
TV: Nine
Out Of Home: oOh
Audio: Nova Entertainment
Publishing and News: News Australia
Digital: News Australia
Partner of the Year by Category
Service and Relationships: SCA
Ideas and Proactivity: Nova Entertainment and Val Morgan Cinema (joint winners)
Value Proposition: GoTransit Media Group
Data and Insights: ATN
Innovation: Vistar Media
Effectiveness: QMS